Chapter 30 Protection Fees and Protection Fees

“I’ve been wanting to ask this for a while,” Thomas asked Bruce deliberately, “have you been having some trouble lately, Bruce? Do you need my help?”

“No need, thank you.” Bruce looked away and busily picked up the tickets on the table. “There are three extra tickets here. Do you have anyone you want to invite… never mind.”

No matter how you look at it, given Thomas's virtually nonexistent social network, he shouldn't need these few votes.

“Take it easy, just save me a seat,” Thomas replied.

"Alfred?"

"Have you forgotten? I've taken on some extra work these past few days."

Because Thomas suddenly decides to come back for a few days, Alfred must urgently cover up anything related to Batman.

"Okay, shall I ask Lucius or Gordon?"

The result was obvious: Lucius declined the invitation. He didn't want to sit next to Thomas after get off work, and it seemed that the small threat from a few years ago had left him with some psychological trauma.

Gordon accepted the invitation. He had known the Wayne brothers for many years and wouldn't refuse such a kind gesture, so he even brought his daughter Barbara along.

It seems that Gotham has been relatively calm lately.

“Yeah, but I have a feeling this is the calm before the storm,” Gordon said on the phone. “Gotham has another cloaked freak of the night, the Penguin has been pretty quiet lately, the Chicago mob is keeping a close eye on Gotham, Wayne Enterprises… oh, sorry.”

“Wayne Corporation?” Bruce repeated in a low voice, turning to look at Thomas.

Thomas sat on the sofa in the distance, drinking bottled water very seriously—he even drinks bottled water at home.

"The Wayne Group recently tightened most of the Gotham Clan's transportation channels; they haven't done that in years."

"What?"

What happened?

Aren't we a legitimate company? How could we possibly be associated with [illegal entities]?

"Don't you know?"

"I have no idea."

Lucius didn't tell me, and neither did Thomas.

“Your brother has been operating several roads over the past few years, charging protection money to gangs, and now the bounty on his head has been increased.”

?

Who collects protection money from whom?

What if they don't pay protection money?

"He contacted the GCPD and shut it down."

"What about those who pay protection money?"

"Most of them were prosecuted after he collected evidence of their illegal and criminal activities some time ago, only Penguin is still around."

The Penguin has survived until now because the Owl needs him to do work.

That's right, you'll get beaten whether you listen or not; only those who do the work can stay.

"Witness Protection Program..."

“He refused,” Gordon said. “The GCPD seemed to have left a rather bad impression on him a few years ago. Although the gangs really couldn’t do anything to him, Gotham’s best weapons and security systems were with Wayne Enterprises, and even Night Owl had only managed to hack into them once.”

That's a brilliant idea.

Bruce was greatly shocked by this.

Thomas, is this how you offended the mob?

"Thank you, I'll go ask him."

He hung up the phone, walked to the sofa, and cautiously asked, "I heard you have a bounty on your head?"

“Don’t worry, that little bit of money won’t hire any professionals,” Thomas replied.

He even took some of the money himself.

Is there anything else you haven't told me?

There are too many to list, ranging from small-scale cases where someone skipped school for a semester and forged a medical record to drop out in order to gain control of Wayne Enterprises as soon as possible, to large-scale cases where someone is preparing to destroy the world with a quantum bomb...

To be on the safe side, Thomas chose a matter that wasn't too big or too small: "You mean the one that almost sent Lucius to jail?"

“Toll fees,” Bruce reminded him.

Oh, I remember now.

During this time, he was transporting raw materials for quantum bombs and laboratory materials. In order to improve transportation efficiency, he simply took care of the gangs that transported dangerous goods.

What's the big deal? Either Thomas takes them out during the day or Night Owl takes them out at night. What can a few thugs possibly do?

“It’s normal business practice, and it’s also my duty as a Gotham citizen. I’ve checked with the Department of Justice, and every step of the process is completely legal.” Thomas looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Does this sound like something negative?

But the journey was clearly dangerous, at least in Bruce's eyes.

"Didn't Lucius and Alfred stop you?"

“What does this have to do with Lucius?” Thomas retorted. “Others are one thing, but Bruce, how can you even confuse Wayne Enterprises with my personal company?”

All right.

Now Bruce has to figure out a way to ensure Thomas's safety while he keeps making reckless mistakes...

Seeing Bruce deep in thought, Thomas decided to preemptively interrupt him:

"Speaking of which, is there anything you haven't told me? I feel like you've been acting a bit strange lately."

"Oh, I forgot to mention," Bruce said, feigning sudden realization, and started making things up, "I sponsored someone."

"who?"

"Batman".

“No wonder he’s using Wayne Enterprises’ new equipment.” Thomas nodded. “I was originally planning to investigate the mole within Wayne Technology, but it seems that’s no longer necessary.”

It must be a real hassle for you to work under Thomas's watchful eye, Lucius.

No wonder you have psychological trauma.

-

In a rare moment of calm, Harry's circus's final performance in Gotham finally began.

This peace is truly rare, and it was maintained through the combined efforts of Batman, Bruce, Owl, and Thomas.

Because Thomas Wayne showed a rare interest in circus performances, the Wayne Group did not stop Mr. Harry from mentioning the Wayne Brothers in interviews, which in turn drove up ticket prices for the final show.

"It's so noisy." Thomas sat listlessly in his seat. There was an empty seat to his right and Bruce to his left.

Some people watched him with excitement and secrecy, as if Thomas were some rare species.

"It should be fine by the time the movie starts." Bruce tried to hand Thomas a bucket of popcorn, but Thomas refused.

"I should have booked the whole place again." Thomas rubbed his temples, the children's excited screams and shrill laughter piercing his ears and making him feel irritated.

In fact, Harry's circus had no prior plans to perform in Gotham; it was Thomas who paid to bring them here a few years ago.

Thomas booked out the entire theater to see the show, and the performance left a lasting negative impression on the circus members. It was only through subsequent financial support that these unpleasant memories were erased.

Imagine a circus performance with only one spectator with a stern face, and no laughter, applause, or cheers.

This audience member spends most of their time working and only deigns to glance at a performance occasionally.

It was a completely disappointing performance, although subsequent shows in Gotham were sold out, and although some Gothamites misunderstood their circus performances as bizarre and freak shows because of Thomas, they quickly dispelled the rumors with their brilliant performances.

“You can’t have this kind of atmosphere if you book the whole place,” Bruce replied. Barbara was sitting next to him; her father had given her a seat closer to the center, where the view was better.

The father and daughter seemed to rarely have the opportunity to go out together; they were whispering to each other.

“I’d rather not have this atmosphere,” Thomas said softly.

In the lively atmosphere, Mr. Harry was the first to step forward and, with considerable passion, praised the warm city and its generous patrons and protectors—clearly Thomas.

"How much money did you give them?" Bruce whispered in Thomas's ear.

Thomas thought for a moment and finally replied, "I just filled out a check on the spot, and I forgot the exact amount."

Mr. Harry bowed deeply to the audience, glancing nervously at Thomas's location.

He's not the guy from a few years ago who, clueless and blind, dared to come to Gotham to perform for money. Now everyone knows just how eccentric this Gotham tycoon is and how immense his power is.

If no one had threatened them, Harry would have definitely avoided Thomas instead of risking sending him a letter inviting him over, and even arbitrarily adding the words "protector."

The circus performance officially began, and it was indeed very exciting. The cheers from the crowd rose higher and higher, pushing the atmosphere to its peak.

Thomas closed his eyes. He was uncomfortable with the lively atmosphere and noisy environment, and he was still hesitating about whether to kill Dick's parents.

Wouldn't it be too obvious to take action now? Batman is sitting right next to me; he'll definitely notice something.

Besides, I'm not the only one in the family, so what reason do I have to adopt an orphan?

Laughter and cheers were mixed with a few screams.

wrong.

He opened his eyes. From his seat, which offered an excellent view, he could see the pool of blood and two human figures on the stage, while Dick stood on a high platform.

Thomas frowned.

He was absolutely certain that he hadn't made a move, nor had he instructed his subordinates to do so, and the Court of Owls showed no intention of withdrawing its claws... This matter was definitely unrelated to him... probably.

He turned to look at Bruce, whose face was ashen as he covered the eyes of the teenager next to him. Commissioner Gordon was walking off the stage, holding a communicator, seemingly contacting the GCPD.

“A performance mishap,” Bruce said. “Take Barbara outside first.”

"I'm going to wait for my dad here."

"Okay, then Thomas... never mind."

-

Someone unscrewed the two nuts securing the steel wire, thus taking two lives.

The GCPD is investigating the case, and Chief Gordon protected a large number of clues at the scene, preventing the case from being hastily classified as an accident.

With the help of Bruce and Thomas, the Graysons' funeral proceeded smoothly.

“I want to adopt that child, if he’d like,” Bruce told Thomas and Alfred. “He needs help, he needs someone to be with him through this dark time.”

Of course, no one objected.